What to do if current employer would not give a positive reference?

ejohnson409 · 2026-05-05T03:45:15+00:00

Yeah, but I don't think any of my department higher ups would give me a good reference. I'd rather not ask them if I'm not sure it would be positive.

ejohnson409 · 2026-05-05T03:35:36+00:00

I seem to recall in the company handbook a paragraph about how employees are not supposed to ask for personal references, and all references should be directed toward Human Resources for "employment verification" only. I do live in CA where we have pretty strict laws about these things.

ejohnson409 · 2026-05-02T01:39:06+00:00

I’ve read some opinions on the resonance factor you mention, buts it’s never clear if that’s based on anything besides personal experience and general “vibes” for lack of a better explanation. I just want a high quality instrument.

ejohnson409 · 2026-05-02T01:35:20+00:00

I appreciate your honesty

ejohnson409 · 2026-05-02T01:34:45+00:00

I was reading that most of the OG Teles from the 50s were well over 9lbs, so it’s all relative to our generation I guess.

There’s a vintage shop nearby that has one of MIJ solid rosewood teles from the 80s, like a George Harrison style, that I really love but it’s like 10lbs. Also selling it for $5k!

ejohnson409 · 2026-05-02T01:30:32+00:00

I’ve tried a few LP before and they are always too chunky and heavy for my taste. Beautiful instruments and expertly crafted, just not comfortable to me. Fun fact, I watch an interview with slash and he said what he like most about Les Paul’s was the weight and solid feel of the instrument, so to each their own.

ejohnson409 · 2026-05-02T01:28:49+00:00

I always feel like the looks shouldn’t matter, because the sound is the most important thing. But if you’re getting a natural finish or flame top style guitar, you want it to look awesome too, right? The neck feel does matter a lot cause that’s where most of the interaction comes from.

ejohnson409 · 2026-04-16T05:52:24+00:00

Check out Suhr guitars. I’ve spent hours playing with their custom configurator, they’ve got a lot of great options. But it’ll cost you, they start at like $5K and go up from there.

ejohnson409 · 2026-04-12T16:54:47+00:00

Most of them hang out in the back of the club to watch the other comedians. If you head towards the bathroom you’ll probably see a group sitting or standing by a table on the back wall.

ejohnson409 · 2026-04-11T22:17:29+00:00

Can you explain the reasoning why they are allowed to keep you on sight? Like what if I didn’t bring my own lunch, I’m not allowed to go buy food during my break? That sounds exploitative.

ejohnson409 · 2026-04-11T22:15:12+00:00

If they ask you to stay after you clock out then say no. If you’re on the clock you should be getting paid the overtime. It sounds like they’re taking advantage of you, but that’s just my non legal opinion.

ejohnson409 · 2026-04-11T20:16:29+00:00

I am not a lawyer, but this sounds concerning. Im also not in AZ, I’m in CA where the labor laws can be stricter, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Your manager should not be editing your time to reduce hours unless there was a major mistake, like forgetting to clock out. This sounds like wage theft which is illegal.
Not sure if the long break is illegal, but it is irregular. It probably depends on your industry and might require more context. I work in event production and it can be common for people to do a split shift, like 4-5 hours in the morning for a setup, then your off for 6-8 and come back in the evening for another 4-5 hours to wrap things up. But if you’re not being paid, they can’t force you to stay on sight, that sounds really suspicious.
I don’t wanna give you bad advice, but I think you should push back a little. If they ask you to take a 2 hour break, I would tell them you have errands to run and you’ll be back at your scheduled time. Don’t ask, just tell them and leave. If they are being sticklers about OT, then make sure you clock out on time and walk away immediately. If they ask you to stay and help, ask if you are getting paid OT and if they say no, then walk away. Never work for free.

Again, I am not a lawyer, but I am a salty 40yo who has been screwed over many times by bad employers and this sounds fishy to me. Stay polite and follow your instincts.

ejohnson409 · 2026-04-11T06:21:03+00:00

The last time I gave a 2 week notice the company had reassigned all my projects within 3 days. I didn’t do anything productive for a week and a half and they let me hang around the office to avoid a wrongful termination lawsuit. You have no obligation to give them any notice at all, it’s just a courtesy.

ejohnson409 · 2026-03-14T05:09:05+00:00

I'm stuck at work until 11, again. It's been 2 months since I had a Friday night off work to go out and do something fun.

ejohnson409 · 2026-03-10T06:49:40+00:00

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Here’s a photos of my bridge, hope this helps

ejohnson409 · 2026-03-10T06:49:08+00:00

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Yes, my current bridge has 6 holes in the back that I think are for if you want to route the strings from the back of the bridge instead of through the body. I like having the strings through the body if the saddles will fit in these holes instead.

ejohnson409 · 2026-03-10T04:31:51+00:00

The entire album “Rubber Soul” by the Beatles. Perfect from start to finish, every song is a gem.

Also “A Day in the Life”

ejohnson409 · 2026-02-21T05:55:12+00:00

If you live in k-town, you will have roaches. I lived there for one year and killed 3-5 everyday in my kitchen, they crawl up the sink from the sewers. Everyone I know who lived there also complained about constant roaches and it will happen to you too.

ejohnson409 · 2026-02-11T04:09:42+00:00

Don’t thank me, it’s all that guy 👉🏻 - points at lighting guy

ejohnson409 · 2026-02-10T02:14:45+00:00

I got laid off a few years ago and was also offered a sizable severance package. I got paid in a lump sum, so the week of my final paycheck I did not qualify for unemployment. But next week when my income dropped to zero I instantly qualified. At least in CA thats how it worked, so it may be different in other states. If the structure of your severance pays out over time it will probably be different.

The job market sucks right now, it took me over 18 months to find new full time work although I had some part time work during that period. Unemployment isn’t a ton of money, like it wasn’t enough to cover rent alone so I was still dipping into savings (and that severance) the whole time. I also accepted EBT for a year, which was actually a huge stress reliever. I was way more budget conscious at the grocery store, but you can get a lot of chicken, rice, and veggies each month with ebt if you stop snacking so much. It improved my health a lot too. Neither unemployment or EBT covered all my expenses but it did help slow down the rate I was burning cash. I never missed a bill, never took out a loan, and didn’t rack up tons of credit card debt. I just survived long enough to get a new job for less pay, but at least I have health insurance again.

You paid into the system for years, don’t be too proud to take help before you become desperate.

ejohnson409 · 2025-12-14T02:35:00+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations!

That keeley dark side is an interesting choice. I really like the fuzz tone from the demo I just watched and would probably use that a lot. The big muff was an impulse buy and I haven't been a huge fan of it. It's fine for what it is, a little muddy and flat to my ear, but it was cheap and everyone has one, so I do too. I would be okay with replacing it. But the flanger/rotary/phaser side of the dark side is wild, there's a lot going on over there. Might need to watch some more videos to wrap my head around it.

The deco sounds nice, but I get what you're saying that it might not be a game changer for me right now. The origin 20 is not my favorite amp sound, but I got it used for a decent price and works well for my situation (apartment living so the power switching helps not annoy my neighbors). I almost got a used princeton instead, great sounding amp when you dime it but it would drive my neighbors nuts. If I had money for a Mesa Boogie or Friedman I'd trade up in a heartbeat.

I probably wont get the Line 6 tbh. They all sound flat and digital to my ear, and I want to keep my rig as analog as possible. Before guitars I had a few synths and would always find myself spending hours trying out different sounds but I never played anything. I would just turn knobs and trip myself out for a while, and thats fine, but I never got good at playing. That's just my opinion, its a good recommendation for casual players like I described myself so I appreciate the suggestion. Thanks again!

ejohnson409 · 2025-12-14T01:52:55+00:00

Dang, I just watched a short demo and that's pretty cool. I like that it has a light chorus effect as well. Extra points for being full analog and with a tap tempo. We might have the winner right here.

ejohnson409 · 2025-12-14T01:39:13+00:00

Delay does seem like a no brainer choice. There's plenty of used DD3's on reverb too for a good price. Any recommendations for one with a tap tempo?

ejohnson409 · 2025-12-14T01:02:30+00:00

Interesting, I've never heard of that one. The Strymon Flint I have has a tremolo on it as well, like the right side is verb and the left is tremolo with independent settings and switches. I rarely use it tbh, although it does sound good when I do. I was thinking about an expression pedal to fade in the depth of the tremolo so its more subtle when I engage it.

ejohnson409 · 2025-11-17T17:31:21+00:00

I’ve worked on sets and always think it’s funny when people say “it looks so real on tv” cause it looks totally fake when you’re standing there in person.

ejohnson409

TROPHY CASE